County to seek federal grant to fund dam upgrades

Published 12:14 pm, Monday, April 21, 2014

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County to seek federal grant to fund dam upgrades

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During a special meeting Monday, brought on by a Friday deadline for a grant application, Hale County commissioners authorized County Judge Bill Coleman to sign an agreement with the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service to seek federal funding to upgrade a trio of flood control dams on the Runningwater Draw.

The city council is scheduled to consider similar action tonight.

Heavy flooding in 1960 prompted city and county officials to explore methods to tame the occasional flood surges along the draw, which is a branch of the Brazos River. A head rise due to heavy rains upstream caused most of the damage in what is considered Plainview’s 100-year flood event in 1960.

Through the efforts of officials in Texas and New Mexico, along with soil and water conservation districts and local governments, project sponsors worked with the U.S. Soil Conservation Service (now NRCS) to develop the flood control plan and the resulting installation of seven dams, beginning in Clovis, N.M., and ending with the Slaton Draw four miles west of Plainview. That draw feeds into the main Runningwater channel on the west edge of Plainview.

Due to the subsequent construction of houses and businesses within the Runningwater Draw flood plain, and also due to the buildup of silt, NCRS recommends that several of the dams be raised and rehabilitated. Of particular interest is the dam on the Slaton Draw, north of Ebeling Addition.

NRCS says if that dam failed during a significant flooding event, more than 190 structures downstream would be endangered.

The proposed upgrades could cost $2.5 million. However, federal funding sought by the county and city would cover 65 percent of the cost. State funding grants could possibly cover up to 95 percent of the remaining costs.

Coleman noted that applying for the federal grant will not commit the county and city to complete the project.

He asked County Clerk Latrice Kemp to see if she could find a copy of the county’s original agreement with the Soil Conservation Service from the early 1970s. “I’d like to see exactly what our responsibilities include.” He questioned the county’s responsibility for funding upgrades to offer additional protect for people who knowingly built and/or moved into expensive homes in flood-prone areas.

The flood control system has a life expectancy of 100 years, and undergoes periodic inspection and maintenance. However, in recent years all such projects have come under increased scrutiny due to the failure of a couple of similar structures in the Northeast.

Commissioners on Monday also received a report on plumbing issues involving the older portion of the Hale County jail which was constructed in 1984. That report indicated the need to replace approximately 1,518 linear feet of sewer lines under the facility, at a cost of approximately $1.2 million to $1.5 million.

Inmates already have been relocated from a large portion of the affected area due to high levels of sewer gases and methane.

Once the actual scope of the project is determined, commissioners likely will either put the project out for bids and perhaps declare that the project is needed on an emergency basis and bypass the bidding process. Coleman said legal advice would be sought from County Attorney Jim Tirey before further action is taken.